St. Mary’s Home for Children was recently awarded a contract with the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) to expand their treatment facilities in Rhode Island. Nixon Peabody negotiated the contract and is assisting St. Mary’s with the construction agreements to allow the proposed work to their North Providence campus. The project will consist of the construction of a 12-bed Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) for female adolescent youth.
145 years of caring for Rhode Island’s most vulnerable children
St. Mary’s Home for Children is a nonprofit agency that increases the safety, stability, and well-being of children facing issues such as psychiatric illness, sexual abuse and trafficking, and special education challenges. St. Mary’s is the only provider certified by Rhode Island and DCYF to operate a PRTF and currently operates three PRTF facilities at their campus. This expansion will increase their capacity to offer intensive inpatient services to youth with various mental health issues.
“St. Mary’s is honored to enter into an agreement with the State of Rhode Island to build out our capacity so more adolescent girls can receive appropriate services, remain in-state, and avoid challenging out-of-state placements. We look forward to working closely with DCYF to bring this much-needed 12-bed facility to fruition and sharing more information about this project with our immediate neighbors and larger community in the coming months.” – Carlene Casciano-McCann, Executive Director, St. Mary’s Home for Children
The projected timeline for the completion of the new PRTF facility is November 2024, with an anticipated opening date in spring 2025.
Creating positive impact in our communities
St. Mary’s Home for Children is a longtime client of Nixon Peabody and has been caring for Rhode Island’s children since 1877. The work St. Mary’s does is challenging and takes extraordinary effort and dedication on the part of staff, volunteers, community members, and especially those they serve. This new project reflects their unrelenting mission to treat and care for our most vulnerable and Nixon Peabody is proud to play a role in their work.
